1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a steering apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional steering apparatus that transmits the rotation of a steering shaft caused in response to an operation of a steering wheel to a steering mechanism, thereby changing the orientation of steered wheels is described, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 4696483. In the steering apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 4696483, a rack-and-pinion mechanism is used as the steering mechanism. The rack-and-pinion mechanism changes the orientation of the steered wheels by converting the rotation of the steering shaft into a linear motion of a rack shaft that meshes with the steering shaft. The rack shaft is slidably housed in a housing. Usually, when the rack shaft reaches the limit of its moving range, an end (a rack end) of the rack shaft collides with the housing, that is, an end bush impact occurs. In this way, the moving range of the rack shaft is physically restricted.
Such an end bush impact may occur not only by an input (normal input) caused as a driver operates the steering wheel, but also by an input (reverse input) caused, for example, as the steered wheel runs onto a curb. Usually, such a reverse input produces an impact that is larger than that produced by the driver's operation of the steering wheel. In view of this, in Japanese Patent No. 4696483, an elastic body is disposed between the housing and the rack end in order to absorb large inputs such as the reverse input.
However, in the steering apparatus according to Japanese Patent No. 4696483, when an end bush impact occurs due to the driver's operation of the steering wheel, the rack end collides with the housing via the elastic body. This makes it difficult to determine a steering angle at which the rack end collides with the housing. As a result, some drivers feel uncomfortable in holding the steering wheel when an end bush impact occurs.